


Ludus - OCtober 2020

by antivanelf (macabreromansu)



Series: Ludus Alin [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:46:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 1,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27372142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/macabreromansu/pseuds/antivanelf
Summary: Compilation of small fic things forOCtober 2020for Ludus that take place at different points of his story -
Series: Ludus Alin [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1999387





	1. Day 1 - Sunrise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Day 1 - Sunrise**   
>  __
> 
> _He hadn’t slept a wink._ Dominus _had passed away four hours ago and the estate was completely silent._

He hadn’t slept a wink. _Dominus_ had passed away four hours ago and the estate was completely silent. They were all aware of the last instruction to pass their master’s lips and the air was full of terrified anticipation. Ludus had promised them their freedom if they simply wanted to walk away from this, passage all the way to Kirkwall, even to Ferelden if they chose. No one had taken him up on it there and then, but he was fairly sure he knew who would be knocking on the door of the study that was now his in the days to come. He wished them well, truly, and hoped they would make a better life for themselves wherever their fate took them.

Sunrise was supposed to signify hope, wasn’t it? Then he’d send them a tired prayer with the first rays that were creeping into the sky, an invocation to the gods to watch over them all. They were going to need it.


	2. Day 2 - Mercy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Day 2- Mercy**   
>  _He glanced up from the paperwork in front of him. Laetitia was still standing, at parade rest no less, carefully not looking at him._

He glanced up from the paperwork in front of him. Laetitia was still standing, at parade rest no less, carefully not looking at him. 

‘You thought I should have let them go? Kept them here?’ He resumed working on the profiles in front of him, compiling what the spies in various estates had gathered. Laetitia didn’t immediately reply, but just as Ludus was going to order her to go brood elsewhere, she spoke up.

‘I don’t mean to question you. I just thought… why _not_ offer them a position here?’

Ludus _hmm_ ed and struck a line through one of the sentences on the page before him.

‘Because he was working for Aurelio and his wife was working for Lusia. If it was simply one or the other, I would have allowed it, fed them some tidbits. But both of them? Not a chance. Any day those two are going to realise how much their interests coincide and we don’t have the resources to fight off a co-operative attack from both of those estates.’

Laetitia didn’t appear shocked by the information that husband and wife were agents for completely different people, nor should she, Ludus supposed. It was getting too common, as far as he was concerned. She did seem to back down though. Ludus looked up and smiled as reassuringly as he could at her.

‘I made it quick, and they suffered little,,’ he said, meeting her relieved gaze. ‘I’m not so far gone as _that_.’


	3. Day 3 - Youth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Day 3 - Youth**   
>  _The boy in front of him was half-starved, half-crazed and all-scared out of his wits._
> 
> _The wounds around his lips hadn’t healed yet, his former handlers having been none too careful about taking the stitches out. He’d have to get Cornelius to go and get them cleaned and healed as much as they could be, he thought absently, pre-occupied from keeping the howling anger at bay as he looked at the state of the child._

The boy in front of him was half-starved, half-crazed and all-scared out of his wits.

The wounds around his lips hadn’t healed yet, his former handlers having been none too careful about taking the stitches out. He’d have to get Cornelius to go and get them cleaned and healed as much as they could be, he thought absently, pre-occupied from keeping the howling anger at bay as he looked at the state of the child.

A couple of decades ago, this had been him, although Asteria had been slightly more concerned about the aesthetics of her stock and had at least cleaned him up before he was allowed to stand in her halls, pretty cold chains replacing the rough cord. 

‘ _My beautiful doll_ ,’ she’d cooed, patting him on the head. ‘ _My Ludus_.’

He’d stood and stared silently at the waif in front of him for too longl the shivering form had sunk to the floor and almost completely curled in on himself, face in his grimy knees.

Ludus cast a despairing look at Cornelius. ‘Where was he found?’

‘Hiding in one of the storerooms on the east side. They’re practically deserted, but you ordered a full inventory this morning.’ His assistant grimaced.

‘Who knows how long he’s been in there. We think he was living off the old rice store in there.’

Ludus contained a sigh and looked back at the boy. He had only seemed to respond to one of the elderly women on the estate, perhaps someone who he’d seen before, but it was hard to tell. She was standing at the side now, wringing her hands as she looked at them. Ludus made a gesture and she came forward gratefully, kneeling to place her arms around the boy’s shoulders and getting him to stand up.

‘Have someone tend to his mouth,’ said Ludus thoughtfully. ‘Get him bathed, fed. And make sure he knows that we won’t turn him out,’ he added. If he was an escapee, better make sure he didn’t have the look. _Then_ , he thought, finally letting out that sigh, _I’ll have to find a place for him_.


	4. Day 4 - Ambush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Day 4 - Ambush**

He hadn’t seen it coming.

One moment he’d been minding his own business, walking around the corner corridor to his study, opened the door, and bam, drenched from head to toe. In what he _hoped_ was water, clean water and definitely not some aftermath of floor cleaning. Which he knew Ellendra had set the little tykes to do that afternoon, and every afternoon for a month as punishment _for exactly this sort of thing_.

Surprise had him blank-faced and then heading towards full-on annoyed, but hearing the giggles from behind his desk had his lips instinctively curving upwards. He suppressed it however, and stood, very deliberately removing the copper pot from his head. Hmm, it smelt clean…

He set it aside on the sideboard for now and cleared his throat. 

‘If anyone small and elfy in this room is willing to quickly and quietly mop this up, I would be willing not to tell the Housemistress,’ he said, watching as two small, identical, toothy grins appeared over the top of his desk. They nodded, still giggling as they rounded the huge, wooden monstrosity and hugged his legs, one each, before letting go and running off to get towels to mop up the sodden tile. Ludus frowned. Well, hopefully.


	5. Day 5 - Beloved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Day 5 - Beloved**   
>  _He woke early in the morning - before dawn, far earlier than usual - to some noise in the villa or perhaps just thrown from fitful dreams. There was an unaccustomed warmth by his side, the sleeping form of his companion breathing steadily._

He woke early in the morning - before dawn, far earlier than usual - to some noise in the villa or perhaps just thrown from fitful dreams. There was an unaccustomed warmth by his side, the sleeping form of his companion breathing steadily. 

Gabriel.

He’d arrived quite late in the evening, exhausted from his travels. Unusually, they’d taken an evening to themselves, Ludus welcoming the ready conversation, the kisses and caresses of his beloved after a long absence. It hadn’t gotten any further than that; both of them were ready to sleep the night through with the promise of morning having them remain close, nose to nose as they fell asleep.

Ludus watched him sleep, a hand resting on his back over the covers, letting it rise and fall with each deep, even breath. Eventually, the motion and the peace of it carried him off again, his eyes drifting closed, thinking of the morning to come.


	6. Day 6 - Luxury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Day 6 - Luxury**  
>  Dominus _had had comparably few slaves, all of them treated well, but he had tended to leave the upkeep of the entire villa to chance on his best days, in favour of his books._

The first things to be refitted were the old slave quarters. _Dominus_ had had comparably few slaves, all of them treated well, but he had tended to leave the upkeep of the entire villa to chance on his best days, in favour of his books. Ludus had the quarters gutted and remade into a small suite of rooms for the Housemistress and a few of the smaller rooms on the east wing were given over to the rest who had elected to remain. A lot of the furnishings were stripped in the more deserted rooms to sell and cancel as many of the estate debts as soon as possible before probate was granted, and all books were moved into the temporary library that Cornelius had set up for him in the driest cellar. For all that was remaining of the antiquities, his assistant had catalogued them anew, (Ludus couldn’t bear listening to his tutting over the old, outdated ledger anymore), and put them into storage as well. 

With an apology to _Dominus_ in his heart, although he knew the old man wouldn’t have cared less, Ludus replaced as much as he thought he’d be able to get away with with more sneakily Southern designs, even indulging in some more ‘Elvhen-inspired’ furnishings. Although he wouldn’t have the first clue what that truly looked like, it satisfied something in his heart to see the undulating, organic shapes.

The more minimalist surroundings were already setting a good mood for all of the villa’s residents, which was helped somewhat by the fresh Spring weather. He’d spent almost the whole day after the last lot of it had been packed away wandering around the villa, amazed at the difference. He felt truly satisfied that he could now begin the real work.


End file.
